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Innumerable sadhus hailing from North India undertake pilgrimage to the South while those from South India undertake pilgrimage to the North. While on such pilgrimages some of these sadhus choose to stay back in some place of their interest. Hathiram Baba was one such sadhu who chose to stay back in Tirumala during his pilgrimage to the South. He called himself 'Hathi' (elephant) as he was very fat. No one knew his real name. In every age Mahatmas have, on the one hand, enjoyed the support of the people while on the other hand faced strong opposition from them.

One such incident of strong opposition took place even in the life of Hathiram Baba. Once, some people who had taken a strong dislike to Hathiram Baba wanted to embarrass him. So they locked him up in a room with ten kilos of cooked rice and ten bundles of sugarcane and challenged him, "If you really are an elephant you must eat every bit of this food by daybreak". Within five minutes of being locked up Hathiram Baba, having consumed the ten kilos of rice and the ten bundles of sugarcane, kicked the locked doors to pieces and stepped out trumpeting like an elephant. Those who were on guard and those who stood there to watch the fun fled from the scene. It is this Hathiram Baba who built the famous Srinivasa temple in Tirumala.

In those days, Hathiram Baba used to sit at the entrance to this Temple. Those who came here had to first place their offerings at his feet; only then were they permitted to step in to have darshan of Lord Balaji. This is how the tradition of dropping the offerings in the 'Hundi' began.

Whenever Hathiram Baba felt bored he would play 'chokkattan' (Indian ludo) with 'Tirupathi Perumal'. Even to-day one can find these scenes depicted on the doors of the temple. Baba's mutt is situated opposite to the Temple. There he is seated in 'jiva samadhi' blessing all the devotees.

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